West Bengal 31st March 2023 Thursday: It was the completion of one year of the Bengal chapter of Brave Souls Foundation, an organization that works with acid attack survivors for their education, health, surgeries, counseling, litigation, and employment. The organization was started in Delhi in 2021 by Shaheen Malik, a survivor herself.

There is a proverb that “Fortune favors the brave” and in this case it is “Mis-fortune favors the Bravest”. A woman always holds a story behind her success but she is herself a story and also an inspiration to the world. Our personal and professional problems are nothing in front of the challenges those women overcame during her turbulent days. Malik and her partners are a great example.

Malik said it takes time to rebuild life after an attack because many survivors go into depression and have to be sorted so they can earn a living.

“We support them with funds to start their own business. Many of them are doing very well on their own,” said Aparajita Bose, coordinator of the Kolkata chapter of the foundation. Despite finding jobs, acid attack survivors face insensitivity and inflexibility in organizations. “This should change”, said Malik.

Acid attack survivors who traveled to the city from various parts of West Bengal shared their stories of struggle and the fight to rebuild their lives, in many cases with no family support.

Tanuja Khatun makes weekly payments to the people she employs. “It takes time to reach where I have reached today. But I have been able to,” she said.

During the program on Thursday, Das made an appeal, “Acid should not be sold openly in the market. It can change a person’s life and we have borne the brunt of it,” she said.